1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer input device and method thereof for scrolling, and in particular to an input device which causes automatic scrolling at a predetermined speed if the velocity of the object exceeds a threshold. The automatic scrolling may be initiated by detection of the variation of a light beam reflected by a moving object, or by a finger-activated mechanism or device such as a traditional scroll wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The so-called “scrolling” function in applications was first introduced in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,455, which disclosed the roller-like device that is now typically included at the top of a computer mouse. Once the roller is rotated, the non-displayed portion of an application or document can be displayed line-by-line or page-by-page. A rapid turning of the roller generates pulses which are stored in a buffer and interpreted as a scroll command so that scrolling continues until stopped or until the buffer is depleted. However, due to the abundant contents in a website or numerous data within a so-called Excel® program, the traditional way to scroll the contents line-by-line, page-by-page, or by dragging the scrolling bar from the top to the bottom will bring a great suffering to the user's digit or finger.
One possible way to solve the problem is to increase the turning number of the roller. A so-called “fast scroll wheel” is powered by a specially designed mechanism. When a user activates or rotates the wheel, the mechanism will force the wheel to rotate for a predetermined time (for example, the wheel will be rotated for 7 seconds). However, it is difficult to assemble the relating components together in the narrow space.